Syrian rebels battle to drive IS from hilltop near Raqqa

AFP
Tal Saman
A US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance on Friday fought fiercely to drive the Islamic State group from a hilltop north of the jihadists' de facto Syrian capital of Raqqa, officers said.
The Syrian Democratic Forces -- which on November 5 launched an offensive to retake Raqqa city with support from a US-led coalition -- encircled the village of Tal Saman some 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Raqqa.
Fighting also raged between the SDF and IS inside Tal Saman, an officer said after returning from the front.
"The jihadists have sent three car bombs since Thursday. Our forces managed to blow them up," Farhad Kurdistan said."Our forces are using heavy weapons because Daesh is putting up tough resistance," he said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
SDF fighters said Tal Saman offers a view of surrounding rocky desert terrain and villages near Raqqa, which has been under IS control since 2014."Daesh is resisting because Tal Saman is on a hill from which one can see the villages" outside Raqqa city, another officer said, asking to remain anonymous.